Methods for Preparing and Installing A Natural Stone Surface and A Tiled Natural Stone Paving System Therefor

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for designing/creating, preparing, and installing a natural stone tiled surface at a site that provides a perception of randomness to the observer while actually following a predefined pattern that facilitates simple installation by unskilled trades and allows for the advanced preparation of the stone tiles used. Advanced preparation of the stone tiles allows the offloading of at least some cutting, preparation and installation steps normally required onsite, to an offsite location. In this way, significant time and cost savings can be achieved by shifting time and resources to an offsite location, which minimizes disruptions onsite, allows the building of an inventory of standard shapes, all without compromising the aesthetics or quality of the installation. The system relies on the tessellation or tiling of a specific outline of an irregular concave polygon, that itself includes an internal set of irregular convex polygon shapes. The tessellation of an outline that includes such a set of shapes provides an optical effect that makes it difficult for an observer to recognize the repeating nature of the stones within the patterned outline.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following generally relates to tiled natural stone surfaces such aspatios, and specifically to a system having a set of shapes of naturalstone tiles, and to methods of creating or preparing such as system, andto methods of installing same.

BACKGROUND

Natural stone tiles of a pre-cut thickness are a highly desirablematerial with which to create a laid or paved surface such as a walkway,patio or other walkable surface. In particular, natural stone tile is apopular material for creating an outdoor patio or pathway.

One of the attractive features of a natural stone patio, when made up oftightly-packed tiles with irregular outlines, is the perceived or actualrandomness to the shapes and sizes of each individual stone whencombined with the variations and randomness of the surface of tiles,providing a customized and high-end effect. The downside of providingsuch randomness via a random tiling approach is the expense of creatingand installing natural stone tiles. For instance, it typically requiresa skilled artisan capable of creating an intricate random patternthrough the cutting of random rock shapes into tiles that can be closelypacked, typically onsite.

Natural stone patios are typically much more expensive than theinstallation of man-made, pre-fabricated tiles or “pavers”, often ofconcrete or clay brick materials. The process of creating such materialsand the installation methods of said material are completely differentthat those used for natural stone paving. In addition, they aretypically arranged in predefined often simple patterns clearly visibleto the casual observer.

In addition to the time and effort required to cut and create therandomized tile patterns and despite best efforts, the manual cuttingprocess used to create stone tiles can result in inconsistent gapsbetween the stones or require additional waste through selection ofdifferent stones to create a better fit. The installation of a naturalstone tile patio can therefore be costly and time consuming unless thetile cutting is efficient and precise.

Additionally, the rock cutting process is loud, disruptive and messy. Itcan also be dangerous when created using portable cutting tools at theinstallation site. This also requires cleanup and can add disruption tothe customer as well as those in the vicinity of the worksite.

It is an object of the following to address at least one of theabove-noted disadvantages.

SUMMARY

It is recognized that a paving system that can be prepared in advance atanother location and installed quickly according to a predefinedrepeating pattern layout plan is desirable. However, it is difficult tocreate a desirable illusion of randomness when installing according to apredefined repeating pattern plan. The following describes a system andmethod for creating a substantially flat (e.g., paved) tiled surface bycutting natural stone into sets of predefined substantially flat shapesof similar thickness, each shape including straight edges such that thecut stone shapes can be placed adjacent one another according to apredefined outline, to achieve a continuous surface where thearrangement of the tiles within the surface, as well as the varied lookof the surface of each tile, provides a perception of randomness to theobserver.

In one aspect, there is provided a method of preparing a set of naturalstone shapes for installation as a tiled surface, comprising:determining a tessellation outline comprising three or more sides;dividing the tessellation outline into a plurality of internal twodimensional shapes; and cutting one or more natural stone slabs intoeach of the plurality of shapes to form at least one set.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of installing a tilednatural stone surface, comprising: cutting one or more natural stoneslabs into each of a plurality of two dimensional shapes that form atleast one set of shapes, wherein each set of shapes, when combined, forma tessellation outline comprising three or more sides; and arranging theplurality of shapes according to the tessellation outline to install thenatural stone surface.

In yet another aspect, there is provided a tiled natural stone pavingsystem, comprising a plurality of two dimensional shapes cut fromnatural stone that form at least one set of shapes, wherein each set ofshapes, when combined, form a tessellation outline comprising three ormore sides, wherein the plurality of shapes are arranged according tothe tessellation outline and the outline is tessellated to create thenatural stone surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the appendeddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a tessellation outline.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a tessellation of the outline of FIG. 1to form a repeating pattern.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the tessellation outline containing aninternal set of five pseudo-random shapes.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a tessellation of the outline of FIG. 3showing a repeating pattern of the internal set of five pseudo-randomshapes.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the tessellation outline containing aninternal set of seven pseudo-random shapes.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a tessellation of the outline of FIG. 5showing a repeating pattern of the internal set of seven pseudo-randomshapes.

FIG. 7A is an image of a patio showing a tessellation of a set of fiveshapes according to a tessellation outline.

FIG. 7B is a variation of the image shown in FIG. 7A accommodating aninternal obstruction.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating operations performed in preparingand installing a natural stone surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes a system and method for designing/creating,preparing, and installing a natural stone tiled surface at a site thatprovides a perception of randomness to the observer while actuallyfollowing a predefined pattern that facilitates simple installation byunskilled trades and allows for the advanced preparation of the stonetiles used. Advanced preparation of the stone tiles allows theoffloading of at least some cutting, preparation and installation stepsnormally required onsite, to an offsite location. In this way,significant time and cost savings can be achieved by shifting time andresources to an offsite location, which minimizes disruptions onsite,allows the building of an inventory of standard shapes, all withoutcompromising the aesthetics or quality of the installation. In addition,the actual installation time is reduced because the predefined layout ofthe stone tiles requires little skill or effort to install.

Natural stone tiles are fabricated from large rough rocks that have beenexcavated at a quarry using drilling, blasting, and sawing techniques.The rough rocks are typically cut or hand-split into irregular shapes ofrectangular slices about four feet wide by four feet tall and about ½inch to 3 inches in thickness, using large rock cutting saws located atthe quarry site. The slices are usually too large, heavy and randomlyshaped to be used directly as paving tiles and are thus transported tothe paving installation site and manually cut into smaller random shapeswith sides of varying lengths between 6 inches and 48 inches that can bepieced together to create a continuous paved surface by skilledcraftsmen using portable cutting tools. The process of cutting stones onsite that will fit tightly together in a random pattern without overlapstypically requires the ability of a skilled craftsperson and is verytime consuming when compared to paving systems using prefabricatedman-made bricks or slabs.

The described system relies on the tessellation or tiling of a specificoutline of an irregular concave polygon, that itself includes aninternal set of irregular convex polygon shapes. The tessellation of anoutline that includes such a set of shapes provides an optical effectthat makes it difficult for an observer to recognize the repeatingnature of the stones within the patterned outline. This perception ofrandomness is enhanced by the actual variations or randomness of thenatural stone surface of the tiles (i.e., different shades, striations,textures, etc.), to make the repeating pattern difficult to discern tothe casual observer.

The system described herein can also create cost savings through thesimplification of the stone tile cutting process, namely by only cuttinga set of standard shapes. In this way, shapes may not need to be cut onsite to fit both the installation and the raw material available at thetime. Moreover, less setup time is required for each cut and a betterutilization of the available stones can be achieved. Similarly, thisaspect of the system can allow for the use of larger, faster, and moreefficient cutting machines than can typically be operated at the jobsite due to their size, weight, and lack of portability in general.Rather than cutting and piecing together random stones on site, thepredefined pattern within the outline can be more quickly installed,reducing overall installation time on site. Cutting offsite can alsohave a safety advantage by using fixed-place machines with built-insafety and rock handling features, minimizing or even avoiding the useof concrete “quick cut” saws normally used for onsite cutting.

This simplification can also reduce the need for skilled labor. As notedabove, traditional stone patios typically require a skilled artisancapable of creating an intricate random pattern by cutting random rockshapes that will fit tightly together. By predefining the outline andinternal shapes as described below, at least some skilled labor is notrequired and the described precut stones can be quickly installedbecause they are designed to fit together tightly in a predefinedpattern without custom cutting to fit. By doing at least some (andpossibly the majority) of the cutting process off site and beforehand,there can be less disruption at the installation site, along with lessdebris, dust, and noise pollution. It can also be appreciated that bypre-cutting stones, fewer offcuts and debris means that less material isrequired to be shipped to the site, thus lowering transportation costs,including delivery and removal of the debris.

The system described herein therefore provides an aestheticallyappealing paved surface with a lower cost of installation thanconventional custom stone paving, through the use of a repeating patterngiving a perception of randomness, allowing the use of lower cost laborwith faster installation time. This can also lead to a betterutilization of raw materials through creating an inventory ofstandard-shaped tiles with material wastage minimized by the eliminationof the need for custom outlines, etc. on site. By forming thestandard-shapes as irregular convex polygons, simpler and faster cuttingcan be achieved using rock cutting saws that only make straight throughcuts for the sides of the tiles as they meet at convex angles. Inaddition to increasing the number of installations possible (due tofaster installations), fewer artisans/craftspeople are required, and theoverall process can become more environmentally friendly through offsite rock cutting in a safer, pollution-controllable environment. Theseadvantages likewise can lead to increased customer satisfaction due tothe increased speed and decreased noise and pollution on site.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a tile or tessellationoutline 10 that is configured to be tiled or tessellated in a pattern asshown in FIG. 2. The outline 10 forms an irregular concave polygon. Thatis, the outline 10 is shaped using straight lines that connect with eachother to preferably form at least one concave vertex 12 and at least oneconvex vertex 14, with a total number of vertices being at a minimumthree, but preferably more such as the example shown in FIG. 1. It maybe noted that an outline 10 with all convex vertices 14 (i.e., anirregular convex polygon) can also be used but may reduce the randomappearance of the resulting paved surface. The provision of both concaveand convex vertices 12, 14 allows the tessellation outline 10 to betiled as shown in FIG. 2 with little or no gaps in between thetessellation outline 10. The vertices 12, 14 also should have opposingcounterparts. For example, concave vertex 12 denoted by x in FIG. 1 hasa complementary convex vertex 14 denoted by x′ to permit these verticesto be placed adjacent to one another when tiled.

The tessellation outline 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 provides a basis fordesigning and preparing the internal pattern that, when tessellated asshown in FIG. 2, provides the desired perception or illusion ofrandomness. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a first example in which thetessellation outline 10 is used as the basis for a set of five internalshapes 18 as illustrated using letters A, B, C, D, and E in FIG. 3. Theinternal shapes 18 are designed such that when combined (and taking intoaccount the gaps created by the internal cuts—see below and FIGS.7A-7B), all internal shapes and such gaps cover the entirety of theinterior area of the tessellation outline 10. The internal shapes 18 canbe considered irregular convex polygons. That is, in this example, eachof the internal shapes 18 itself includes only convex vertices 14 tofacilitate the easiest cutting methods of the shapes 18 from raw stonematerial. The individual internal shapes 18, once designed and sized tofit within the tessellation outline 10 as shown in FIG. 3, can be cutindividually from any raw stone material. That is, there is norequirement that the internal shapes 18 be cut from the same slab ofstone as the other internal stones 18 with which it will be laid. Thisallows the raw stone to be more efficiently utilized with as littlewaste as possible while also allowing for stones of different shades andcolor patterns to be combined in artistically interesting ways. Thetessellation outline 10 can therefore be considered a guide or patternfor a set of internal stones 18 to guide the installation to create theperception of randomness seen in FIG. 4. That is, the internal stones 18can be sent to site as a set and laid down according to the pattern.

When cutting stone tiles, it is desirable to perform the cuts so thatthe footprint of the resulting stone tiles will also include the gap(s)and thus be spaced between ⅜ inch and ½ inch apart when installedaccording the installation pattern. The purpose of the resulting gap isto hide the cutting tolerance variations that occur when cutting naturalstone while maintaining the extents of the tessellation outline 10.Small deviations of the cut angle or variations in the exact flatness ofthe cut line are more visible when the gap between stones is very small.However, it is also recognized that gaps between individual stones, andthereby also the gap between tessellating outlines, may be larger than ½inch wide and still maintain the perception or illusion of randomnessprovided that all gaps are essentially parallel and are of the samewidth.

It can be appreciated that while examples herein describe straight edgeshapes, the principles discussed herein can be adapted to use curvededges and concave corners with a tradeoff in complexity of cutting,requiring more specialized cutting machinery and/or techniques. That is,the straight edges and convex corners of the irregular convex polygonshapes 18 greatly simplify cutting and decrease complexity in theprocess.

While FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an example having a set of five internalshapes 18, any plurality of shapes, either an odd or even number, can beused. It can be appreciated that more internal shapes used, the morerandomized the pattern appears. For example, FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate asecond example in which the same tessellation outline 10 is used as thebasis for a set of seven internal shapes 18, as illustrated using theletters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. As with the first example, the internalshapes 18 are designed such that when combined (and taking into accountthe gaps created by the internal cuts), all internal shapes and suchgaps cover the entirety of the interior area defined by the tessellationoutline 10. Also, as with the first example, it can be observed thateach of the internal shapes 18 in FIG. 5 can be considered an irregularconvex polygon, which includes only convex vertices 14, to simplifycutting and placement within the outline 10, as explained above. Thepattern and visual effect of the tessellation shown in FIG. 6, whencompared to FIG. 4, has a greater perception or illusion of randomnessto the observer. The tradeoff between these two examples is theincreased perception or illusion of randomness versus the number ofdistinct shapes that need to be cut and installed to form a set.However, the raw material available to the designer/installer shouldalso be considered since a large stock of relatively smaller stones mayrequire or otherwise dictate the use of smaller individual shapes 18,thus creating a greater number of shapes 18 within the same tessellationoutline 10. As such, the size of the set of internal shapes 18 can alsobe dictated by other external factors.

It can also be appreciated that while the examples in FIGS. 3-6illustrate tiling the tessellation outline 10 using the same internalpattern or set, two or more different internal patterns with the sametessellation outline 10 could also be tiled. For example, an installerthat has pre-cut inventory for two or more different sets could tiledifferent sets together on site.

In general, the tessellation outline 10 is designed to form an irregularconcave polygon, which includes three or more edges, with thefourteen-edge outline 10 shown in the present examples beingadvantageous but illustrative only, in that multiple convex vertices 14and multiple concave vertices 12 can be formed with multiple opposingcounterparts x/x′. More or fewer sides/edges is/are possible within thescope of the present disclosure. The number of sides can be chosen toincrease or decrease the number of internal shapes 18 to balance theperception of randomness with the number of cuts, amount of inventory,and other factors affecting the set. For example, any number of internalshapes 18 can be patterned within the outline 10 but the more shapes 18created the more cuts and inventory are needed and the installation timecan increase. Moreover, the overall size of the tessellation outline 10can vary, again balancing between the aesthetic appeal of largerinternal stones 18 and the available stock of natural stone slabs.

FIGS. 7A and 7B provide an image of a small installation site with thetessellation outline 10 overlaid in the image using a thick bold virtualline for emphasis only, which would not be present in the actualinstallation. In this example, a set of five internal stones 18, markedA, B, C, D, and E is shown. A central set of shapes 18 is highlightedwith the neighboring internal stones 18 placed adjacent the outer edgesof each to begin creating the tessellating pattern. Also shown in theimage of FIGS. 7A and 7B are boundaries 20 and obstructions 22. FIG. 7Aillustrates a boundary region 20 in which modified shapes 18′ (B′, C′)are cut either beforehand or cut onsite to accommodate the externalouter boundaries of the patio. To cut beforehand, a site plan can beused to lay out the tessellating pattern to determine which shapes 18need to be cut to become modified shapes 18′. Alternatively, the patterncan be created onsite and only minor cuts applied at the installationstage when approaching a boundary region 20.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7B, an obstruction 22 such as a supportpost, tree, or other object may need to be accommodated within theboundary of the patio. In this case, the modified shapes A″, B″ and D″are cut to accommodate the obstruction 22. As discussed above, this canbe done in advance and offsite if an accurate site plan is available towork from.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart for the preparation and installation ofa natural stone surface as herein described. At step 30, the overalltessellation outline 10 is obtained, determined or otherwise created ordesigned. The tessellation outline 10 may also require scaling based onthe size the project. From the tessellation outline 10, at step 32 theoutline 10 is divided into a plurality of internal two dimensionalshapes 18, e.g., irregular convex polygon shapes as shown in FIGS. 3 and5. The measurements of these shapes 18 are taken and can be used tocreate a template for each shape 18 in the set. At step 34, naturalstone pieces are cut into each of the plurality of shapes to form setsof the internal stones 18. The number of complete sets and number ofindividual internal stones 18 can vary depending on the size of theproject and various constraints such as the size of the available rawstone tiles. Therefore, step 32 can also include a sub-step of mappingthe tessellation outline 10 and stones 18 to a site plan to determinethe number of sets required and, if any incomplete sets are required,which individual stones 18 are needed. Of course, these efficiencymeasures may not be required if the maximum number of stones 18 is cutfrom an available stock of natural stone. Moreover, the pre-cutting canbe done in bulk to create a standardized stock of stones for multiplejobs and need not be repeated or customized for each job.

Optionally, at step 36, the sets of shapes 18 (and/or any incompletesets) are transported to an installation site. This step may be optionalin some circumstances if all cutting is to be done onsite. That is, theprinciples described herein can also be applied completely onsite, e.g.,for installations wherein cutting onsite is not considered disruptive orsuitable offsite cutting tools are not available or needed. At step 38,the shapes 18 are then arranged according to the tessellation outline 10such that for large areas the shapes 18 are grouped and laid in sets, asdescribed above. Optionally, as also shown in dashed lines in FIG. 8,portions of some shapes 18 can be removed to accommodate obstructions atstep 40 and portions of the outermost shapes 18 may be cut to conform toan outer boundary 20 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. As noted above, it canbe appreciated that steps 40 and 42 can instead be performed at step 34if suitable knowledge of the site is known and can be reasonablyguaranteed to allow for pre-cutting.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where consideredappropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures toindicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the examples described herein. However, it will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examplesdescribed herein may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have notbeen described in detail so as not to obscure the examples describedherein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting thescope of the examples described herein.

It will be appreciated that the examples and corresponding diagrams usedherein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations andterminology can be used without departing from the principles expressedherein. For instance, components and modules can be added, deleted,modified, or arranged with differing connections without departing fromthese principles.

The steps or operations in the flow charts and diagrams described hereinare just for example. There may be many variations to these steps oroperations without departing from the principles discussed above. Forinstance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps maybe added, deleted, or modified.

Although the above principles have been described with reference tocertain specific examples, various modifications thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.

1. A method of preparing a set of natural stone shapes for installationas a tiled surface, comprising: determining a tessellation outlinecomprising three or more sides; dividing the tessellation outline into aplurality of internal two dimensional shapes; and cutting one or morenatural stone slabs into each of the plurality of shapes to form atleast one set.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a first pair of thethree or more sides forms a first concave vertex, and a second pair ofthe three or more sides forms a second convex vertex to define thetessellation outline as an irregular concave polygon.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the first concave vertex and the first convex vertexare counterparts to each other such that in one set the first convexvertex aligns substantially with the first concave vertex in another setwhen the sets are laid adjacent one another.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the tessellation outline is divided into a set of comprising anodd number of internal shapes.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thetessellation outline is divided into a set comprising an even number ofinternal shapes.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof internal two dimensional shapes is formed as an irregular convexpolygon comprising all convex vertices.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining a boundary constraint or obstruction fora planned installation; and cutting a portion from at least one of theinternal shapes to accommodate the boundary constraint or obstruction.8. The method of claim 7, wherein a plurality of the internal shapes arecut to accommodate the boundary constraint or obstruction.
 9. The methodof claim 1, wherein the plurality of shapes are cut to include gapsbetween the plurality of shapes when laid according to the tessellationoutline.
 10. A method of installing a tiled natural stone surface,comprising: cutting one or more natural stone slabs into each of aplurality of two dimensional shapes that form at least one set ofshapes, wherein each set of shapes, when combined, form a tessellationoutline comprising three or more sides; and arranging the plurality ofshapes according to the tessellation outline to install the naturalstone surface.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingtransporting the cut shapes from an offsite location to an onsitelocation wherein the stone surface is to be installed.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, wherein at least one complete set of shapes is installed. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of sets of the shapes isinstalled by arranging a plurality of the tessellation outlines adjacentone another with a respective set of the shapes being arranged withineach tessellation outline.
 14. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising determining a boundary constraint or obstruction for thestone surface; and cutting a portion from at least one of the internalshapes to accommodate the boundary constraint or obstruction.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein a plurality of the internal shapes are cutto accommodate the boundary constraint or obstruction.
 16. The method ofclaim 10, wherein a first pair of the three or more sides forms a firstconcave vertex, and a second pair of the three or more sides forms asecond convex vertex to define the tessellation outline as an irregularconcave polygon.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first concavevertex and the first convex vertex are counterparts to each other suchthat in one set the first convex vertex aligns substantially with thefirst concave vertex in another set when the sets are laid adjacent oneanother.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the tessellation outline isdivided into a set of comprising an odd number of internal shapes. 19.The method of claim 10, wherein the tessellation outline is divided intoa set comprising an even number of internal shapes.
 20. The method ofclaim 10, wherein each of the plurality of internal two dimensionalshapes is formed as an irregular convex polygon comprising all convexvertices.
 21. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of shapesare cut to include gaps between the plurality of shapes when laidaccording to the tessellation outline.
 22. A tiled natural stone pavingsystem, comprising a plurality of two dimensional shapes cut fromnatural stone that form at least one set of shapes, wherein each set ofshapes, when combined, form a tessellation outline comprising three ormore sides, wherein the plurality of shapes are arranged according tothe tessellation outline and the outline is tessellated to create thenatural stone surface.
 23. The system of claim 22, wherein a first pairof the three or more sides forms a first concave vertex, and a secondpair of the three or more sides forms a second convex vertex to definethe tessellation outline as an irregular concave polygon.
 24. The systemof claim 23, wherein the first concave vertex and the first convexvertex are counterparts to each other such that in one set the firstconvex vertex aligns substantially with the first concave vertex inanother set when the sets are laid adjacent one another.
 25. The systemof claim 22, wherein the tessellation outline is divided into a set ofcomprising an odd number of internal shapes.
 26. The system of claim 22,wherein the tessellation outline is divided into a set comprising aneven number of internal shapes.
 27. The system of claim 22, wherein eachof the plurality of internal two dimensional shapes is formed as anirregular convex polygon comprising all convex vertices.
 28. The systemof claim 22, wherein the plurality of shapes are cut to include gapsbetween the plurality of shapes when laid according to the tessellationoutline.